rick·ett·si·a (r -k t s - )n. pl. rick·ett·si·ae (-s - ) Any of various bacteria of the genus Rickettsia, carried as parasites by many ticks, fleas, and lice, that cause diseases such as typhus, scrub typhus, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in humans. [New Latin Rickettsia, genus name, after Howard Taylor Ricketts (1871-1910), American pathologist.] rick·ett si·al adj. |
rickettsia [rɪˈkɛtsɪə]
n pl -siae [-sɪˌiː], -sias
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Microbiology) any of a group of parasitic bacteria that live in the tissues of ticks, mites, and other arthropods, and cause disease when transmitted to man and other animals
[named after Howard T. Ricketts (1871-1910), US pathologist]
rickettsial adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | rickettsia - any of a group of very small rod-shaped bacteria that live in biting arthropods (as ticks and mites) and cause disease in vertebrate hosts; they cause typhus and other febrile diseases in human beings eubacteria, eubacterium, true bacteria - a large group of bacteria having rigid cell walls; motile types have flagella family Rickettsiaceae, Rickettsiaceae - microorganism resembling bacteria inhabiting arthropod tissues but capable of causing disease in vertebrates |
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|